West African Civilizations (MP3 finals)

How did Queen Amina’s faith help spread Islam in Zazzau?

her Muslim faith led her to…

* encourage Muslim scholars, judges, and religious leaders from religious centers at Kano and Timbuktu to come to Zazzau.

What were two ways that Islam spread throughout Africa? 

* spread throughout Africa through trade networks and cultural diffusion


* as well as through Islamic education, military conquest, and political alliances with local rulers.

What accounted for Ghana’s financial success?

* to its control over the trans-Saharan trade routes
* particularly the gold and salt trade
* enabled it to accumulate vast wealth and resources.

What was the economy of the Hausa city-states like?

* based on a combination of agriculture, trade, and craft production, with each city specializing in diff goods
* such as textiles, leather, or metalwork, and trading with other regions through long-distance caravan networks.

In what way did Islam encourage the spread of literacy? 

Islam encouraged the spread of literacy through its emphasis on education, the establishment of mosques as centers of learning, and the development of Arabic script, which facilitated the dissemination of religious texts and scholarship.

How did Sunni Ali build an empire? 

Sunni Ali built the Songhai Empire through a combination of military conquest, strategic alliances, and administrative reforms, which enabled him to expand and centralize his rule over a vast territory in West Africa.